Universal-type, pillow-block bearing puller

ABSTRACT

Discloses a universal-type, pillow-block bearing puller for pulling a pillow-block bearing, whose size can range from small to large, supporting a corresponding size shaft. The pillow-block bearing is caged and swivelmounted in a pillow block. The puller is adapted for emplaced mounting on the working end of the shaft. The puller comprises frame means, spacer means, jaw means and jack-screw means. The bearing is removed by appropriate engagement of the jaw means with the pillow block and the jackscrew means with the shaft. During this pulling operation, the spacer means prevents any relative movement of the pillow-block bearing and the spacer means further maintains the jack-screw means co-axial or parallel, and in direct line with the center line of the shaft and pillow-block bearing for maximum application of force transmitted by the jack-screw means to achieve the greatest ease of bearing removal.

1451 May 20, 1975 United States Patent 1191 Coil [ UNIVERSAL-TYPE, PILLOW-BLOCK BEARING PULLER ABSTRACT Discloses a universal-type, pillow-block bearing puller for pulling a pillow-block bearing, whose size can Latham,

Trailer Cts.

[22] Filed: May 1, 1974 range from small to large, supporting a corresponding size shaft. The pillow-block bearing is caged and swi- [21] Appl. No.: 465,809

velmounted in a pillow block. The puller is adapted for emplaced mounting on the working end of the shaft. The puller comprises frame means, spacer means, jaw means and jack-screw means. The bearing is removed by appropriate engagement of the jaw means with the pillow block and the jack-screw means with the shaft. During this pulling operation, the

spacer means prevents any relative movement of the pillow-block bearing and the spacer means further -screw means co-axial or parallel, and in direct line with the center line of the shaft and ,910 Blackwood, Jr. 29/261 2,352,739 3,174,218

maintains the jack 7/1944 Sauer.......................

3/1965 McC0naha....

-screw means to achieve f o n o h p p a ma .m m X am m 01 w emw buua i kmt CSS on lam mre pmm r J m m KS P M 30 m H T m n w w n m H m x E 2 t 5 Wm at 0O m s in vrs PA Attorney,

Agent, or F irm-Walter F. Wessendorf, Jr. 10 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures SHEU 16? 2 MINIMUM Illllll W I'llllllllll FIG.2.

PATENTED MAY 2 01975 SHEET 2 i]? 2 UNIVERSAL-TYPE, PILLOW-BLOCK BEARING PULLER This invention relates to a universal-type, pillowblock bearing puller which incorporates structural features that permit small to large pillow-block bearings to be pulled and removed from their corresponding shafts without any shaft damage.

Pillow-block bearings are utilized to mount long shafts. The shafts supported by pillow-block bearings range in size from small to several inches in diameter. The bearings are supported in pillow blocks that have feet to fixedly mount the pillow blocks on machinery. Many pillow blocks are wider at their bottoms than at their tops, and hence are tapered. In some pillow blocks the supported or caged bearings are recessed within the pillow blocks, in others, the supported bearings are exposed. When the need arises to remove a pillow-block bearing, a problem of the removal of the pillow-block bearing is presented to the mechanic since through rust and otherwise the bearing usually seizes itself on the shaft. Since there is no known, prior-art, universal-type, pillow-block bearing puller before this invention, the mechanic must resort to the laborious and time-consuming, tried-and-proved method for the removal of the pillow-block bearing. Hence, the mechanic resorts to several hours of effort in pounding the bearing and pillow block to attempt to free the bearing seized upon the shaft, and, as a result, sometimes damages the shaft. In following the tried-and-proved method for removing large pillow-block bearings seized on large shafts, it sometimes takes seven hours of such pounding to free the bearing seized on its shaft. In contrast, by using the pillow-block bearing puller of this invention, it takes a mechanic one-half hour of time or less to safelyand easily remove the pillow-block bearing from its shaft, but with no damage to the shaft. One of the problems in the art to which this invention contributes a solution is the problem arising from the fact that the bearing, supported or caged in its pillow block, swivels. To properly, effectively and expeditiously remove the pillow-block bearing from its shaft, the bearing puller must be mounted on the shaft of the bearing in such a way that the puller will not move up, down or sideways. The bearing puller must remain co-axial or parallel, in direct line with the center line of the shaft and pillow-block bearing in order that the mounted bearing puller can pull and remove the bearing with the fullest force applied and the greatest of ease consequently. Another requirement is that the jaws of the bearing puller must be as wide as or wider than the shaft on which it is mounted, and the jaws must maintain four-point contact on a tapered pillow block durstructural and associated functional features such that the bearing puller can be easily and quickly mounted for the pulling operation.

Accordingly, the objects of this invention are to contribute to the solution of the discussed problems of the art by providing a universal-type, pillow-block bearing puller than can be utilized to pull and remove pillowblock bearings from their shafts.

These objects and other objects of the invention should be discerned and appreciated from the detailed specification taken in conjunction with the drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the invention shown mounted on a shaft supported by a pillow-block bearing supported by a pillow block;

FIG. 2 is a view of the invention taken in the direction of the arrow 2 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partial, perspective view of the invention shown mounted on a small pillow-block-bearing shaft; and

FIG. 4 is a view of the invention taken in the direction of the arrow 4 in FIG. 3.

To facilitate the understanding of the invention, a nomenclature list is hereby provided:

NOMENCLATURE generally refers to the invention corner web corner web upper, rectangular-shaped frame lower, rectangular-shaped frame bolt adjustment hole L-shaped adjustment block bolt L-shaped jaw bolt front pipe coupling rear pipe coupling jack screw wrench or tool-engaging face of jack screw 27 reducer bushing foot of pillow block 35 pillow block shaft pillow-block bearing spacer sleeve spacer element reduced end of jack screw 27 shaft pipe short section of pipe set screw set screw W-shaped clamp wrench or tool-engaging" face integral neck of W-shaped clamp 57 Allen screw spacer sleeve nut 69. thrust block In FIG. 1 of the drawings, reference numeral 1 generally refers to the invention.

Comer webs 3 and 5 are in fixed relationship with and disposed between open, upper and lower, rectangular-shaped frames 7 and 9. Bolts 11, disposed through aligned adjustment holes 13 formed in frames 7 and 9, as shown, are engaged with aligned, tapped holes formed in L-shaped blocks 15 to adjustably mount blocksl S.

Bolts 17, disposed through holes formed in L-shaped jaws 19, are engaged with aligned, tapped holes formed in blocks to thereby mount jaws 19.

Bolts 21, disposed through holes formed in frames 7 and 9, are engaged with aligned, tapped holes formed in front and rear pipe couplings 23 and 25, to thereby mount couplings 23 and 25.

A jack screw 27, having wrench or tool-engaging faces 29, is engaged with a hexagonally faced, reducer bushing 31 engaged with the rear pipe coupling 25.

In utilizing the invention to pull a pillow-block bearing from its shaft, the bolts that mount the feet 33 of pillow block 35 to the machinery are first removed. Next any collar, fixed by a set screw or otherwise on the working or outside end of shaft 37 against the pillowblock bearing 39, is operatively disengaged from shaft 37. A spacer sleeve of suitable size and wall thickness, to substantially accommodate the open toroidal space formed by the interior of couplings 23 and 25, and the periphery of shaft 37, is freely disposed on shaft 37. Then a spacer element 43, having a threaded end, of slightly greater internal diameter than the external diameter of shaft 37 is suitably disposed on shaft 37 to bear against pillow-block bearing 39. Spacer element 43 has a length sufficient such that when the bearing puller l is disposed on shaft 37 as shown in FIG. 1, with its jaws 19 in operative engagement with pillow block 35 to accommodate the distance between the open end of pillow-block bearing 39 and the open end of front pipe coupling 23 with suitable dimensional allowance for engagement of the threaded end of spacer element 43 with the threaded open end of front pipe coupling 23. Then the bearing puller 1 is suitably positioned on shaft 37 such that spacer sleeve 41 receives shaft 37 and the threaded end of spacer element 43 is suitably engaged with the threaded open end of front pipe coupling 23. Jaws 19 are positioned to bear against the pillow block 35 as shown in FIG. 1. A wrench or tool is operatively engaged with the faces 29 of jack screw 27 to effect operative engagement of the reduced end 45 of jack screw 27 with the working or outside end of shaft 37. Continued appropriate turning of jack screw 27 will transmit sufficient force to pull and remove the pillow-block bearing 39 and pillow block 35 from shaft 37, but without any damage to shaft 37. The spacer sleeve 41 functions to maintain the reduced end 45 of jack screw 27 in direct line with the center line of the shaft 37 while the spacer element 43 The spacer element 43, interposed between the open end of pillow-block bearing 39 and front pipe coupling 23, will not permit any relative movement of bearing 39 in the pulling operation described. The force transmitted by the turning jack screw 27 against shaft 37 is similarly transmitted by the jaws 19 bearing against the tapered side in common of pillow block 35. Since the bearing 39 is caged inside pillow block 35 and the spacer element 43 prevents any relative movement of bearing 39, the force transmitted by the jaws 19 will cause the pillow block 35 to pivot with resulting fourpoint contact established by the jaws 19 with the tapered side in common of pillow block 35.

It should be appreciated that if the working end of shaft 37 was longer than that shown in FIG. 1, the mechanic, to pull the bearing 39 from such a longer shaft, would simply remove the reducer bushing 31 and its jack screw 27, then employ a sufficiently extra length of pipe to accommodate the longer shaft, engage the threaded end of the extra length of pipe with the rear pipe coupling 25, add another coupling to the other threaded end of this extra length of pipe and then replace the reducer bushing 31 and its jack screw 27 on the added coupling.

In FIGS. 3 and 4 of the drawings is shown a modification to the bearing puller for use in pulling a pillowblock bearing whose shaft 47 is less than the diameter of shaft 37. The bearing puller 1, as shown and described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, remains the same except for the changes that will be described.

A pipe 49 is appropriately engaged by both the front and rear pipe couplings 23 and 25, and a short section of pipe 51 is threaded into the front of front pipe coupling 23 in place of spacer element 43.

Tapped holes, appropriately formed in each of the pipes 49 and 51, are engaged by two set screws 53 and a set screw 55 carrying a W-shaped clamp 55. Set screws 53 and 55 have wrench or tool-engaging faces 59.

The integral neck 61 of W-shaped clamp 57 has a tapped hole engaged by set screw 55. An Allen screw 63 engages a tapped hole transversely formed in neck 61 of W-shaped clamp 55. The Allen screw 63 projects into and engages a complemental groove (not shown) that is formed in set screw 55.

In utilizing this described modification for the bearing puller to pull a pillow-block bearing, a spacer sleeve 65, clamped by the W-shaped clamps 57, is appropriately disposed and positioned on shaft 47 to bear against the pillow-block bearing. Appropriate engaged turning of the wrench or tool-engaging faces 59 of set screws 55 will effect clamping engagements of the W- shaped clamps 57 with spacer sleeve 65. Appropriate tightening of nuts 67, against the peripheries of pipes 49 and 51, engaged with set screws 55 maintains the W- shaped clamps 57 in their clamped positions on spacer sleeve 65.

With reference to FIG. 4, it should be noted that the set screws 53 do not operatively engage spacer sleeve 65 in order to allow some movement and play for spacer sleeve '65 for positioning of same on shaft 47. Appropriate tightening of nuts 67, against the peripheries of pipes 49 and 51, engaged with set screws 53 maintains the set screws 53 in their positions shown.

It should be noted that the length of the small section of pipe 51 will correspond to the length of the working end of shaft 47.

Interposed between the working end of shaft 47 and the reduced end 45 of jack screw 27 is a thrust block 69. With the jaws l9 appropriately positioned to bear against the pillow block, appropriate turning of jack screw 27 will effect operative engagement of its reduced end 45 against thrust block 69 to transmit sufficient force to pull and remove the pillow-block bearing from its shaft 47.

Having thusly described my invention, I claim:

l. A universaLtype,pillow-block bearing puller for pulling a pillow-block bearing, whose size can range from small to large, supporting a corresponding size shaft, said pillow-block bearing being caged and swivelmounted-in a pillow-block, said bearing puller being adapted for emplaced mounting on the working end-of said shaft, said bearingpuller in its emplaced mounting relationship remaining co-axial or parallel, and in direct line with the center line of said shaft and pillowblock bearing for pulling andremoval. of said pillowblock bearingfiwith the fullest'of applied force and greatest of ease, and without-relative pillow-block bearing movement-during the pulling operation; said bearing puller comprising frame means, coupling means, spacer means, jaw means and jack-screw means; said coupling means being interposed said frame means and said spacer means, jaw means and jack-screw means,"said spacer. means for' bearing against .said' pillow-block bearing to prevent relative movement of saidpillow-block bearing during the pulling operation, said jaw means operatively engaging said pillow block, said jack-screw means being operative to transmit pulling force against the working end of said 7. A universal-type, pillow-block bearing puller in accordance with claim 1, wherein said frame means comprises open, upper and lower frames, front and rear pipe couplings, means mounting said pipe couplings on said frames, said spacer means comprises a spacer sleeve and a spacer element, wherein said pipe cou-. plings carry said spacer sleeve, wherein said front pipe coupling carries said spacer element, wherein said spacer sleeve is disposed on said shaft to maintain said 10 jack-screw means co-axial, and in direct line with the 8. A universal-type, pillow-block bearing puller in accordance with claim 1, wherein said frame means comprises open, upper and lower frames, front and rear pipe couplings, pipes, clamping means, means mounting said pipe couplings on said frames and said spacer shaft and to transmit pulling force to said jaw means operatively engaging said pillow block, and said spacer means further maintaining said jack-screw means, coaxial or parallel, and in direct line with the center line of said shaft and pillow-block bearing.

2. A universal-type, pillow-block'bearing puller in accordance with claim 1, wherein said frame means comprises open, upperand lower frames, blocks and means adjustably mounting said blocks on said frames, and wherein said blocks'car'ry said jaw means.

3. A universal-type, pillow-block bearing puller in accordance with claim 1-, wherein said frame means comprises open, uppe'r uand lower frames, front and rear means comprises a spacer sleeve, wherein said pipe couplings carry said pipes, wherein said pipes carry said clamping means, wherein said clamping means carry said spacer sleeve, wherein said spacer sleeve is disposed on said shaft to maintain said jack-screw means,

parallel, and in direct line with the center line of said shaft and pillow-block bearing, and wherein said spacer sleeve bears against said pillow-block bearing to prevent relative movement of said pillow-block bearing during the pulling operation.

pipe couplings, and means mounting said pipe c'ou-f plings on said frames, wherein said pipe couplings carry I said spacer means and wherein saidlrear pipe coupling carries said jack-screw means.

4. A universal-type, pillow-block bearing puller in accordancewith claim 1, wherein said-frame means comprises open, upper and lower frames,'blocks, front and rear pipe couplings," means adjustably mounting said blocks on said frames, and means mounting said pipe couplings on said frames, wherein said bloclts carry said jaw means, wherein said pipe, couplings carry said spacer means and wherein said rearpipe coupling carries said jack-screw means.

5. A universal-type,pillow-block bearingp'uller'in accordance with claim 1,' wherein said'frame means comcarry said clamping means and wherein said clamping means carry said spacer means.

6. A universal-type, pillow-block bearingpuller in ac-.

cordance with claim 1, wherein said frame means comprises open, upper and lower frames, front and rear fpipe couplings,-pipes,' 'clamping means, and means mounting said pipe couplings on said frames, wherein said pipe couplings carry saidpipes, wherein said pipes 9. A universal-type, pillow-block bearing puller in accordance with claim 1, wherein said frame means comprises open, upper and lower frames, blocks, front and rear pipe couplings, means adjustably mounting said blocks on said frames, means mounting said jaw means on said blocks, means mounting said pipe couplings on said frames, said spacer means comprises a spacer sleeve and a spacer element, wherein said rear pipe coupling carries said jack-screw means, wherein said pipe couplings carry said spacer sleeve, wherein said front pipe coupling carries said spacer element,

wherein said spacer sleeve is disposed on said shaft to' maintain said jack-screw means co-axial, and in direct line with the center line of said shaft and pillow-block 1 bearing, and wherein said spacer element bears against said pillow-block bearing to prevent relative movement "of said pillow-block bearing during the pulling operation.

10. A universal-type, pillow-block bearing puller in accordance with claim 1, wherein said frame means 3 comprises open, upper and lower frames, blocks, front and rear pipe couplings, pipes, clampingmeans, means prises open, upper and lower frames, front and rear 1 mounting said jaw means on said blocks, means mountcarry said clamping means,-'wherein'said clamping means carry said spacer means and wherein said'rear pipe couplingcarries said jack-screw means,

adjustably mounting said blocks on said frames, means ing said pipe couplings on said frames, and said spacer means comprises a spacer sleeve, vwherein said rear pipe coupling carries said jack-screw means, wherein said pipe couplings carry said pipes, wherein said pipes carry said clamping means, wherein said clamping means carry said spacer sleeve, wherein said spacer sleeve is disposed on said shaft to maintain said jackscrew means parallel, and in direct line with the center line of said shaft and pillow-block bearing, and wherein said spacer sleeve bears against said pillow-block bearing to prevent relative movement of said pillow-block bearing during the pulling operation. 

1. A universal-type, pillow-block bearing puller for pulling a pillow-block bearing, whose size can range from small to large, supporting a corresponding size shaft, said pillow-block bearing being caged and swivel-mounted in a pillow block, said bearing puller being adapted for emplaced mounting on the working end of said shaft, said bearing puller in its emplaced mounting relationship remaining co-axial or parallel, and in direct line with the center line of said shaft and pillow-block bearing for pulling and removal of said pillow-block bearing with the fullest of applied force and greatest of ease, and without relative pillow-block-bearing movement during the pulling operation; said bearing puller comprising frame means, coupling means, spacer means, jaw means and jack-screw means; said coupling means being interposed said frame means and said spacer means, jaw means and jack-screw means, said spacer means for bearing against said pillow-block bearing to prevent relative movement of said pillowblock bearing during the pulling operation, said jaw means operatively engaging said pillow block, said jack-screw means being operative to transmit pulling force against the working end of said shaft and to transmit pulling force to said jaw means operatively engaging said pillow block, and said spacer means further maintaining said jack-screw means, co-axial or parallel, and in direct line with the center line of said shaft and pillowblock bearing.
 2. A universal-type, pillow-block bearing puller in accordance with claim 1, wherein said frame means comprises open, upper and lower frames, blocks and means adjustably mounting said blocks on said frames, and wherein said blocks carry said jaw means.
 3. A universal-type, pillow-block bearing puller in accorDance with claim 1, wherein said frame means comprises open, upper and lower frames, front and rear pipe couplings, and means mounting said pipe couplings on said frames, wherein said pipe couplings carry said spacer means and wherein said rear pipe coupling carries said jack-screw means.
 4. A universal-type, pillow-block bearing puller in accordance with claim 1, wherein said frame means comprises open, upper and lower frames, blocks, front and rear pipe couplings, means adjustably mounting said blocks on said frames, and means mounting said pipe couplings on said frames, wherein said blocks carry said jaw means, wherein said pipe couplings carry said spacer means and wherein said rear pipe coupling carries said jack-screw means.
 5. A universal-type, pillow-block bearing puller in accordance with claim 1, wherein said frame means comprises open, upper and lower frames, front and rear pipe couplings, pipes, clamping means, and means mounting said pipe couplings on said frames, wherein said pipe couplings carry said pipes, wherein said pipes carry said clamping means and wherein said clamping means carry said spacer means.
 6. A universal-type, pillow-block bearing puller in accordance with claim 1, wherein said frame means comprises open, upper and lower frames, front and rear pipe couplings, pipes, clamping means, and means mounting said pipe couplings on said frames, wherein said pipe couplings carry said pipes, wherein said pipes carry said clamping means, wherein said clamping means carry said spacer means and wherein said rear pipe coupling carries said jack-screw means.
 7. A universal-type, pillow-block bearing puller in accordance with claim 1, wherein said frame means comprises open, upper and lower frames, front and rear pipe couplings, means mounting said pipe couplings on said frames, said spacer means comprises a spacer sleeve and a spacer element, wherein said pipe couplings carry said spacer sleeve, wherein said front pipe coupling carries said spacer element, wherein said spacer sleeve is disposed on said shaft to maintain said jack-screw means co-axial, and in direct line with the center line of said shaft and pillow-block bearing, and wherein said spacer element bears against said pillow-block bearing to prevent relative movement of said pillow-block bearing during the pulling operation.
 8. A universal-type, pillow-block bearing puller in accordance with claim 1, wherein said frame means comprises open, upper and lower frames, front and rear pipe couplings, pipes, clamping means, means mounting said pipe couplings on said frames and said spacer means comprises a spacer sleeve, wherein said pipe couplings carry said pipes, wherein said pipes carry said clamping means, wherein said clamping means carry said spacer sleeve, wherein said spacer sleeve is disposed on said shaft to maintain said jack-screw means parallel, and in direct line with the center line of said shaft and pillow-block bearing, and wherein said spacer sleeve bears against said pillow-block bearing to prevent relative movement of said pillow-block bearing during the pulling operation.
 9. A universal-type, pillow-block bearing puller in accordance with claim 1, wherein said frame means comprises open, upper and lower frames, blocks, front and rear pipe couplings, means adjustably mounting said blocks on said frames, means mounting said jaw means on said blocks, means mounting said pipe couplings on said frames, said spacer means comprises a spacer sleeve and a spacer element, wherein said rear pipe coupling carries said jack-screw means, wherein said pipe couplings carry said spacer sleeve, wherein said front pipe coupling carries said spacer element, wherein said spacer sleeve is disposed on said shaft to maintain said jack-screw means co-axial, and in direct line with the center line of said shaft and pillow-block bearing, and wherein said spacer element bears against said pillow-block bearing to prevent relative movement of said pillow-block bearing during the pulling operatIon.
 10. A universal-type, pillow-block bearing puller in accordance with claim 1, wherein said frame means comprises open, upper and lower frames, blocks, front and rear pipe couplings, pipes, clamping means, means adjustably mounting said blocks on said frames, means mounting said jaw means on said blocks, means mounting said pipe couplings on said frames, and said spacer means comprises a spacer sleeve, wherein said rear pipe coupling carries said jack-screw means, wherein said pipe couplings carry said pipes, wherein said pipes carry said clamping means, wherein said clamping means carry said spacer sleeve, wherein said spacer sleeve is disposed on said shaft to maintain said jack-screw means parallel, and in direct line with the center line of said shaft and pillow-block bearing, and wherein said spacer sleeve bears against said pillow-block bearing to prevent relative movement of said pillow-block bearing during the pulling operation. 